The Black & White, Common Sense, The Observer, Silver Chips — the list of MCPS high school newspapers are endless. While each one may be a part of MCPS, they’re all unique because they showcase student voices from respective schools. 

Starting this year, the division between MCPS high school publications will begin to fade with The Amplifier,  MCPS’ first student-run, county-wide magazine. 

MCPS is fully funding The Amplifier. Writers will begin reporting this winter, and the first edition will come out April 2020. The magazine will publish stories profiling an MCPS student or staff member with compelling stories, news articles, opinion pieces and features. Approximately 3,000 copies will be distributed throughout all MCPS high schools.

“We hope to create a publication that showcases the diverse student body of Montgomery County and promotes community and discussion among different schools,” Amplifier Editor-in-chief Rachel Auerbach — one of the founders said. “We hope showcasing different perspectives and experiences in one newspaper will help create a more understanding, unified community.”

The Amplifier’s mission is to create a publication for all student voices, regardless of the student’s geographic location or socioeconomic status.

“It will be interesting to see what high schools in Montgomery County have in common, and what we can do to create more common ground,” English teacher Christopher Williams said.

Some student newspapers in the county don’t have the resources needed to produce a magazine, so through The Amplifier, founders hope to give students in all parts of the county more of an opportunity to write, Auerbach said.

The Amplifier staff are in the process of reaching out to student journalists from across the county to see who’s interested in writing the publication. Hopefully, The Amplifier will be able to put together a meaningful magazine by this spring Auerbach said.

“I think this new publication is going to be very successful,” sophomore Skylar Chasen said. “Anyone who enjoys writing will love the idea of reaching a broader audience. I definitely want to write for it.”